BREAKING STUDENTS’ COMFORT ZONE: LEARNING FROM COMMUNITY MEMBERS, A STRATEGY WITHIN THE AEC EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique Vinicio Villacis Tapia ◽  
India Luxton ◽  
Rodolfo Valdes Vasquez ◽  
Mehmet Egemen Ozbek ◽  
Cynthia Ayarza
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Comfort Zone ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Colorado State University ◽  
Neighboring Building ◽  
New Perspective

In order to address pressing issues such as climate change, energy crises, and economic disparity, it is pertinent to include local community members within AEC education. In this paper, we explore how breaking the comfort zone of students can facilitate a broader perspective on sustainability. This new perspective can cultivate innovative and creative solutions to 21st century problems. This paper documents the experience and impacts of student participation in an education abroad program focused on sustainable buildings and infrastructure. The program took place in January 2019 in Costa Rica with the collaboration of Colorado State University (USA) and EARTH University (Costa Rica). In this program, students directly communicate with low-income community members who worked with a local developer during the construction of a new neighboring building. Qualitative interviews with students, as well as ethnographic observations of class discussions, illustrates that this partnership helped students see a new perspective on how to deal with the life cycle of construction projects. The preliminary results indicate that the collaboration between the community members and the developer was a key component of expanding students’ perspectives. This research illustrates the importance of building community collaborations that are mutually beneficial in the classroom and beyond. In particular, the results suggest that educational experiences which integrate community concerns into solutions are key to expanding students’ worldviews.

scholarly journals Sustainable Community-run Development: Experiences from the ADIO Project in Ostional, Costa Rica

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Katja Klopfer
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Olive Ridley ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Conservation Projects

<p>In the face of the current global sustainability challenge, seeking out and strengthening sustainable alternative methods for community development has become an urgent task for development professionals and academics. In order to explore one of such alternatives, in this thesis I draw on research conducted with the Associación de Desarollo Integral de Ostional (ADIO). Located on Costa Rica’s rural Pacific coast, ADIO was initiated by the local community of Ostional and resulted in the Project of Sustainable Use, Conservation and Management of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle in 1987. Co-managed by the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MINAE), ADIO practices conservation and scientifically monitors the management of the Olive Ridley sea turtle species. Surplus eggs from the turtle arribadas (the mass nesting’s of sea turtles) at the optional beach are being legally harvested and marketed by ADIO. This project has successfully contributed to the protection of the Olive Ridley turtle population whilst returning socio-economic benefits into the community. The aim of this research is to gain a better understanding of ADIO’s work and the significance of ADIO to the local community. My research draws on the experiences of community members to identify their perception of the benefits of ADIO to their own community, and unpack areas in need of improvement. Qualitative data were collected from community members through: semi structured interviews, participant observation, a reflective workshop, a questionnaire and field notes. The findings of this research identify key elements for the success of ADIO, and demonstrate the benefit of this Project toward the sustainability of the local community. This research demonstrates that socio-economic benefits can be gained through appropriate community participation in sustainable conservation projects, which can further enhance the desire of the local community to be better stewards of natural resources. This thesis seeks to contribute in some small way to an existing body of knowledge on the topics of sustainability, community-run conservation, and development.</p>

scholarly journals Participatory Processes in Planning for Self-Help Housing Provision in South Africa: Policies and Challenges

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-36
Author(s):  
Sithembiso Lindelihle Myeni ◽  
Bongekile YC Mvuyana
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Housing Development ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Self Help ◽  
The Poor ◽  
Planning Phase ◽  
Participatory Processes

In contemporary post-apartheid a number of housing policies have been made since the 1994 democratic dispensation in an attempt to solve housing problems especially for poor and low-income population in South Africa. The most recent policy has been the Comprehensive Housing Plan for the Development of Integrated Sustainable Human Settlements commonly known as the Breaking New Ground (BNG) housing plan of 2004. The aims of this paper are to present an overview and empirical analysis on research and emerging legitimisation of the participation of informal institutions in planning phase for housing development in rural areas. This paper analyses public participatory processes in the planning phase of rural housing project(s) in Jozini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal. Since the establishment of a fully-fledged local government institutions and the promulgation of the BNG in 2004, inhabitants have experienced materialisation of new housing opportunities for community members. These opportunities created during the planning phase which results to community members benefiting in housing development excludes the poor in the process of self-help subsidy administration and housing allocation. Grounded on the works of Foucauldian scholars especially the ‘discourse of power’ in participation, the paper argues that the local community members not only embody the local knowledge to be accessed, but their participation presents an important entry point to the political decision-making needed for collecting differing viewpoints and interests but also for initiating the negotiations needed that would lead to coordination, if not cooperation for housing development. We propose that participatory processes that are beneficiary to the poor are best understood when traced over time as a dynamic response to a constantly unfolding-project related intervention.

scholarly journals Sustainable Community-run Development: Experiences from the ADIO Project in Ostional, Costa Rica

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Katja Klopfer
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Sea Turtle ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Alternative Methods ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Olive Ridley ◽  
Turtle Species ◽  
Conservation Projects

<p>In the face of the current global sustainability challenge, seeking out and strengthening sustainable alternative methods for community development has become an urgent task for development professionals and academics. In order to explore one of such alternatives, in this thesis I draw on research conducted with the Associación de Desarollo Integral de Ostional (ADIO). Located on Costa Rica’s rural Pacific coast, ADIO was initiated by the local community of Ostional and resulted in the Project of Sustainable Use, Conservation and Management of the Olive Ridley Sea Turtle in 1987. Co-managed by the University of Costa Rica (UCR) and the Ministry of Natural Resources (MINAE), ADIO practices conservation and scientifically monitors the management of the Olive Ridley sea turtle species. Surplus eggs from the turtle arribadas (the mass nesting’s of sea turtles) at the optional beach are being legally harvested and marketed by ADIO. This project has successfully contributed to the protection of the Olive Ridley turtle population whilst returning socio-economic benefits into the community. The aim of this research is to gain a better understanding of ADIO’s work and the significance of ADIO to the local community. My research draws on the experiences of community members to identify their perception of the benefits of ADIO to their own community, and unpack areas in need of improvement. Qualitative data were collected from community members through: semi structured interviews, participant observation, a reflective workshop, a questionnaire and field notes. The findings of this research identify key elements for the success of ADIO, and demonstrate the benefit of this Project toward the sustainability of the local community. This research demonstrates that socio-economic benefits can be gained through appropriate community participation in sustainable conservation projects, which can further enhance the desire of the local community to be better stewards of natural resources. This thesis seeks to contribute in some small way to an existing body of knowledge on the topics of sustainability, community-run conservation, and development.</p>

The People Beyond the Tag

2019 ◽  
pp. 61-97
Author(s):  
Shareen Hertel
Keyword(s):  
Local Community ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Stakeholder Consultation ◽  
Subjective Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Business And Human Rights ◽  
The People ◽  
Grassroots Level ◽  
The Town

Chapter 4 analyzes the receptivity of local community members in the town of Villa Altagracia (Dominican Republic) toward the practice of stakeholder consultation. It draws on original qualitative interviews with residents of this manufacturing community where collegiate apparel is produced (i.e., clothing with college logos) and workers at one company (Alta Gracia Apparel) are paid triple the prevailing minimum wage. The chapter introduces the concept of “subjective socioeconomic status,” which enables us to compare how different respondents rate their own well-being compared to that of other people in their community. Villa Altagracia has a significant unemployment problem, and the surveys convey the challenges experienced by people beyond the factory’s employees. Listening to people at the grassroots level illuminates the limits of business and human rights promotion strategies, the structural roots of poverty, and the inherent complexity of poor communities central to global supply chains.

scholarly journals Local perceptions of the impact of group interpersonal psychotherapy in rural Uganda

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. E. Lewandowski ◽  
P. A. Bolton ◽  
A. Feighery ◽  
J. Bass ◽  
C. Hamba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
School Attendance ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Interpersonal Psychotherapy ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Local Perceptions ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Prevalence Of Depression ◽  
Improved Sanitation ◽  
The Impact

Background.This study investigated local perceptions of changes stemming from a long-standing Group Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT-G) program for the treatment of depression in rural Uganda. The study was conducted in a low-income, severely HIV/AIDS-affected area where in 2001 the prevalence of depression was estimated at 21% among adults.Method.Data were collected using free-listing and key informant qualitative interviews. A convenience sample of 60 free-list respondents was selected from among IPT-G participants, their families, and other community members from 10 Ugandan villages. Twenty-two key informants and six IPT-G facilitators were also interviewed.Results.Content analysis yielded five primary categories of change in the community related to the IPT-G program: (1) improved school attendance for children; (2) improved productivity; (3) improved sanitation in communities; (4) greater cohesion among community members; and (5) reduced conflict in families. Community members and IPT-G facilitators suggested that as depression remitted, IPT-G participants became more hopeful, motivated and productive.Conclusion.Results suggest that providing treatment for depression in communities with high depression prevalence rates may lead to positive changes in a range of non-mental health outcomes.

"Got Milk": Bridging the Town-Gown Divide with Evaluation Research in African-American Communities

2005 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Ruth Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Intervention Development ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Cancer Society ◽  
Educational Mission ◽  
Collection Data ◽  
Emic Perspective

In 2000, I was asked by the American Cancer Society to evaluate We Care About Kids, a newly funded 18-month community-based pilot project to address cancer prevention needs in urban low-income minority populations. We Care About Kids (WCAK) peaked my interest for several reasons: First, as an applied medical anthropologist working in an academic setting, I seek opportunities to bridge the university's educational mission with service to the surrounding communities. Secondly, service in local community organizations provides opportunities for graduate students to understand how anthropology and anthropologists impact the lives of everyday citizens. Thirdly, this project would involve anthropology at its inception: thus I could incorporate an emic perspective into project activities from the beginning, increasing opportunities for community members' input in data collection, data analysis, and intervention development and implementation.

PAR Method

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle Billies
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Critical Consciousness ◽  
Design Method ◽  
Participatory Action ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Context Analysis ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
The Social ◽  
And Gender

The work of the Welfare Warriors Research Collaborative (WWRC), a participatory action research (PAR) project that looks at how low income lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender nonconforming (LG-BTGNC) people survive and resist violence and discrimination in New York City, raises the question of what it means to make conscientization, or critical consciousness, a core feature of PAR. Guishard's (2009) reconceptualization of conscientization as “moments of consciousness” provides a new way of looking at what seemed to be missing from WWRC's process and analysis. According to Guishard, rather than a singular awakening, critical consciousness emerges continually through interactions with others and the social context. Analysis of the WWRC's process demonstrates that PAR researchers doing “PAR deep” (Fine, 2008)—research in which community members share in all aspects of design, method, analysis and product development—should have an agenda for developing critical consciousness, just as they would have agendas for participation, for action, and for research.

DIFFUSION AND ADOPTION OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES IN SOUTH AFRICAN TELECENTRES: SELECTED TELECENTRES IN KWAZULU-NATAL

Mousaion ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 103-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
Blessing Mbatha
Keyword(s):  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Diffusion Of Innovations ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Information And Communications Technologies ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Ict Tools ◽  
The Government ◽  
Types Of Information

This study investigated the usage and types of information and communications technologies (ICTs) accessible to community members in four selected Thusong Service Centres (TSCs or telecentres) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN). The telecentres that participated in the study were: Nhlazuka, Mbazwane, Dududu and Malangeni. The study was informed by Rogers’ (1995) Diffusion of Innovations (DoI) theory. Through a survey, four TSCs were purposively selected. A questionnaire was used to collect data from community members in the four telecentres involved. The data collected was tabulated under the various headings and presented using tables, frequencies, percentiles and generalisations with the help of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results indicated that a variety of ICT tools have been adopted in the TSCs to provide the local community with the much-needed access to information and improved communication. The government should ensure that adequate varieties and levels of ICT competence are offered to all the citizens. In conclusion, there is a need for sufficient and coherent government policies regulating the training of the local community to use these ICTs effectively.

The Three-Legged Stool of Voter Engagement

2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 41-56
Author(s):  
Adelaide K. Sandler ◽  
Mary E. Hylton ◽  
Jason Ostrander ◽  
Tanya R. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Voter Turnout ◽  
Political Power ◽  
Voter Registration ◽  
Elected Officials ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
Community Members ◽  
The Past ◽  
Voting Decisions

Disparities in voter turnout have increased significantly over the past four decades. Members of historically oppressed groups, those who are low-income, and or who have lower levels of education vote at significantly lower rates than white, wealthy and or more educated community members. These disparities correlate directly to political power and the eventual allocation of resources by elected officials. Therefore, eliminating these disparities through targeted voter engagement with client groups is particularly important for the profession of social work. This article describes the conceptualization of voter engagement as a three-legged stool, consisting of voter registration, regular voting, and basing voting decisions on self-interest.Without attention to all three legs, the potential for generating political power collapses, resulting in minimal influence on elected officials.

scholarly journals Intrinsic Value and Perceived Essentialism of Culture Heritage Sites as Tools for Planning Interventions

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5078
Author(s):  
Magdalena Roszczynska-Kurasinska ◽  
Anna Domaradzka ◽  
Anna Wnuk ◽  
Tomasz Oleksy
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Social Acceptance ◽  
Intrinsic Value ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Heritage Sites ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Culture Heritage ◽  
Response To Change

In order to remain alive and relevant, cultural heritage sites have to react and adapt to changing context in a coherent manner, i.e., in a way that is in line with the memory and identity of the place. The incoherent changes, i.e., the transformations that according to the local community do not agree with a character of a place, can be destructive for the long-term vitality of urban cultural heritage. In this study, we test which factors influence social acceptance of different alternations within the context of urban historical gardens that might, in turn, ensure the resilience of the place. Our study focuses on the intangible qualities of the place measured by intrinsic value, perceived essentialism and anti-essentialism as important predictors shaping the response to change. The correlational study was conducted using an online questionnaire designed to empirically grasp intangible qualities of cultural heritage sites. Five hundred twenty-nine responses were included in the analysis. The study shows that perceived historic value, inherent value (uniqueness and importance of the place) and (anti-)essentialist character of a place capture the differences between parks well and enables the finding of interventions that are coherent with a site’s genius loci. Measuring intangible qualities of urban gardens can help to design changes that find higher approval among local community members and users of the site. We discuss how the analysis of an intrinsic value and essentialism allows for planning better spatial interventions that align with the human-centered approach to urban development.

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